LE Legal question about distributing vanilla files with a mod

[fore]

NMM Users uninstalling FNIS experience the dreaded half-t problem afterwards, because they usually don't read the uninstall instructions. The problem is that FNIS generates modifications of standard behavior files which are not part of the FNIS installation package.

 

Not that I want to encourage users to uninstall FNIS, but I'm not interested in providing help desk for people that want to quit FNIS either. :smile:

 

The solution could be easy: distribute the vanilla versions of all behavior files that might be modified by FNIS.

 

But: am I allowed to do so? Am I allowed to publicly distribute one single (original) game file?

 

I'm talking about 5 files, plus about 100 for the Creature pack. But I don't think the number really matters.

[Arthmoor]

Those files should already be in their BSAs, yes? Would it be feasible to write a batch file that removes all of the files FNIS edits?

[fore]

But what will execute this batch file? The problem is that NMM is not open for any executables, neither install nor unistall.

 

So for the creature behaviors I already added a button in the FNIS UI. But users tend not to read uninstall instruction.

 

The only fool-proof solution I see is to add the vanilla behavior files. Then NMM will automatically remove those FNIS generated, modified versions. And the bsa will be used again.

[DrakeTheDragon]

Is there a possibility for FNIS 'not' replacing one of these files, if shipped with the package?

If there isn't, couldn't you just package some 'dummies' with your mod/tool instead?

If FNIS replaces them all with generated modified versions, and you only need them to be part of the package so the uninstall process will have them on its list, will they still need to be actual working Vanilla files?

[fore]

If I make dummies, then the user will CTD when he forgets to run the FNIS generator and starts Skyrim. Or at least half-t pose if I make the dummies intelligently.

 

But then we are back to early times, when FNIS got so "popular", because it was the "tool which caused the half-t pose". Because noobs never seem to read.

 

It could all be so easy if there was a way to call a program, or at least a batch file, at NMM install and uninstall. But after recent incidents I understand that this is not possible.

 

But your last question, DrakeTheDragon, points to a possible solution: what if a mod could provide a list of file names that NMM simply adds to its own uninstall list? Ok, that would probably be an FNIS-only add-on, but considering how often FNIS is installed and uninstalled, certainly justified.